A TikTok challenge gone wrong may cost a 12-year-old Colorado boy his life.
On March 22, Joshua Haileyesus attempted the “blackout challenge,” a dangerous challenge where participants could asphyxiate themselves by holding their breath as long as possible. His twin brother found him in the bathroom blacked out, Fox 19 reported.
The Haileyesus family believes that he tried to choke himself with a shoelace.
Once the boy was transported to Aurora Children’s Hospital, doctors told his parents that the preteen wasn’t going to survive and needed to be prepared to let him go.
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“Told me the bad news that he’s not going to survive, he’s not going to make it,” Haaileyesus’ father Zeryihun told FOX 19. “I was begging them on the floor, pleading to see if they can give me some time, not to give up on him. If I just give up on him, I feel like I’m just walking away from my son.”
The boy’s father said his son was a warrior and that he remained steadfast in prayer.
“He’s a fighter. I can see him fighting. I’m praying for him every day,” he said. “It’s just heartbreaking to see him laying on the bed.”
Haileyesus is described as a vibrant 12-year-old soccer player who loved playing video games, dedicated to his faith and passionate about the Army.
A representative from TikTok told Newsweek that although people are doing the “blackout challenge,” the social media site redirects users to the community guidelines that warn about the dangers of these types of challenges.
The spokesperson also expressed her sympathy to the family regarding the tragic accident.
“Our profound sympathies go out to the boy and his family. At TikTok, we have no higher priority than protecting the safety of our community, and content that promotes or glorifies dangerous behavior is strictly prohibited and promptly removed to prevent it from becoming a trend on our platform. We also block related hashtags and searches to discourage people from participating in or sharing potentially dangerous content.”
